Published:
September 9, 2021
In October 2021, the number of people found mentally incompetent to stand trial and waiting in Texas jails for restoration treatment at a state hospital hit a new record: 1,838.
A state advisory committee admits specific data on individuals waiting could help reduce that backlog, but KXAN discovered many critical details are not tracked.
Without that data, the state acknowledges the consequences of the growing waitlist are largely unknown – including when people die waiting.